'Settlements on the occupied land core issue'

Prof. Bassem Zbeidi, a political scientist from Birzeit University in the West Bank, also doubts the Israeli government's intention to stand by its promise.

Zbeidi said that the announcement comes as an answer to the pressure from the international community, and especially from the United States.

"Israeli government isn't capable of enforcing such a step," Zbeidi said, "it will definitely endanger the current coalition. I don't think Netanyahu is willing to go that far."

He added that Netanyahu would rather keep his coalition than keep the promise to tear down settlement. "Everything he's done is trying to deflect international pressure."

"What really matters here isn't the fate of a few scattered outposts," Zbeidi said, "the core issue is Israeli government's stand on settlements built on the occupied territories."

U.S. backing or not

Arye Naor, a professor emeritus at the department on public policy and administration at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, told Xinhua that it could lead to a political crisis if Netanyahu' s government would enforce the demolition plan.

"It depends on so many factors, such as support from the U.S.," Naor said, "if Netanyahu will enjoy real American support, it will be easier for him to maneuver and manipulate his coalition partners."

He added that if Netanyahu doesn't win the support of the Americans, "it would be doubtful if he could carry out the eviction."

Naor believes the Israeli Prime Minister is likely to receive more support from the U.S. Congress than from the Obama administration. "The congressional backing can be used to relieve some of Netanyahu's pressure," he said.

It's generally assumed that Netanyahu is under heavy American pressure after the U.S. used its veto two weeks ago to stop a United Nations Security Council resolution that condemned Israeli settlement construction.

While the decision was widely praised in Israel, in its aftermath both Netanyahu and members of his government have made statements that appear to be geared at repaying the U.S. for its support.

On Monday, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor, who belongs to Netanyahu's Likud party, said that the prime minister supported transferring more land on the West Bank to the control of the Palestinian National Authority.

Meridor, however, rejected the idea of a Palestinian state on the 1967 border as the "world had already recognized that the main settlement blocs in Judean and Samaria (West Bank) would stay in Israeli hands."